Why Would a Potter be Sorted into Slytherin?
by moonston3
Summary: It's the next generation: Lily Luna Potter is in her sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. What will happen when previously home schooled Scorpius Malfoy joins her? Will romance spark or will the traditional rivalry between the two families flare up once again? Rating may change as story continues.
1. The Hogwarts Express

_-Five years previously-  
"Slytherin!" The Sorting Hat's hoarse voice rung through the now silent Great Hall, echoing off the sturdy stone walls that had been there for hundreds of centuries. Slowly, the students of Hogwarts began to murmur amongst themselves, shooting disapproving looks at Slytherin's latest addition: a tiny, slight girl with peculiar eyes and a long tangle of red hair that just brushed her elbows. She had an odd look about her, perhaps it was that one of her eyes was brown and the other was green, or that her ears poked out just a bit too much from her thick curtain of fiery red hair, or the fact she wore a pendant with the symbol of the Deathly Hallows upon it. Despite the reaction, her pale lips stretched into a sly smile, and she hopped off the wooden stool and made her way to her House's table. The Slytherin students, although surprised by the Sorting Hat's choice, welcomed the girl and clapped her on the back, introducing themselves and taking turns to shake her small hand while her robes transformed. The lining of her cloak shimmered into an emerald green and an emblem with a serpent appeared on her jumper. Her tie, once plain black, grew green stripes and now she looked ever the part of the Slytherin House. The reason why most of the student population were so confused about her sorting was because her whole family had been in Gryffindor; in fact her two older brothers and sister were peering over with curiosity from the opposite side of the hall. However, seeing that their little sister was content, they relaxed and clapped and whistled, yet they couldn't help thinking:_

_Why would a Potter be sorted into Slytherin?_

-Present day-  
"Lily! Hurry it up, you'll miss the train!" Ginny Potter shouted up the spiralling staircase to her daughter, who was still packing. It was her sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and although she was excited as she was every year, she still wasn't ready to go. Her cat, Henry, peered at her as she rushed about her room, flinging the odd item into her trunk as she went.

"Don't give me that look." Lily Luna Potter glared at the ginger bundle of matted fur that was spread over her pillow, looking very comfortable. One last sweep of the room and she decided she had everything: her robes, cauldron, books, potion ingredients, scales, telescope, parchment, ink, quills, weekend clothes, money… and her wand (12 inches, unicorn hair, pear) was tucked safely in her pocket. She slammed her fit to burst trunk shut and locked it, before hurdling downstairs with her trunk banging every single step as she lugged it behind her. Henry scuttled at her feet, clearly pleased to be on their way. Ginny and Harry Potter were at the front door, looking panicked and glancing at the large grandfather clock in the hallway.

"At last!" Harry growled as his daughter finally made her appearance. "Are you planning to miss the train or shall we get going?" Lily grinned sheepishly and linked arms with her father and with a stomach-churning jolt they apparated to King's Cross Station. Ginny appeared a moment later with Henry in her arms, who was hissing and spitting, despising being away from his owner. He leaped onto Lily and wrapped himself around her neck like an ugly purring scarf, enjoying the warmth.

"Two minutes to spare." Ginny sighed with relief, and quickly gave her daughter a rib-cracking hug. "Keep out of trouble and work hard okay? We'll see you at Christmas." Lily nodded and hugged her mother tightly, and then moved to embrace her father.

"Have fun. We love you." Harry said, ruffling Lily's hair. She grinned.

"I love you too." And with that, she turned and ran into the wall, trunk in tow, between the platforms 9 and 10. Darkness drowned her vision for a split second and then she was there: Platform 9¾, the Hogwarts Express before her emitting steam violently and whistling to warn it was about to leave. Lily sprinted through the doors and shut it behind her; she was the last to board. A shiver of appreciation coursed through her body as soon as her trainers meet the plush carpet of the old steam train's floor. Already she felt more at home than at her actual house; the Potter mansion was extremely huge and luxurious with more than two hundred rooms but it was at Hogwarts where she felt she truly belonged. Just a few seconds after Lily had boarded the train, the gears shifted into life and the wheels begrudgingly began their continuous circuits, slowly but surely pulling the Express towards its destination. The familiar musty, magical smell polluted Lily's nostrils and she inhaled gratefully, for she had been deprived of it for six weeks.

Lily slowly shuffled down the rickety train as it gradually picked up speed, peering into compartments as she went. She was seeking out her friends, and she eventually found them right at the back of the train. A Slytherin girl with short, straggly blonde hair was reading aloud an article about strange creatures from this month's issue of the _Quibbler,_ her pale blue eyes piercing through her thick glasses and a Ravenclaw boy with unruly mousey hair was pretending to listen whilst absentmindedly eating a rather large pile of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. As Lily slid the compartment door open, both their heads snapped up and smiled hello.

"Lils, I missed you so much!" The blonde girl said softly, leaping up (the _Quibbler_ going flying) and wrapping Lily in a warm hug. Henry hissed and jumped from Lily's shoulders and onto the boy's lap, who scowled and attempted in vain to prise him off.

"Alice, I missed you too! How was your summer?"

"It was okay, Mum and Dad took me Nargle hunting." Alice Longbottom's parents, Luna and Neville, had been friends with Lily's dad during their time at Hogwarts. They had a taste for the eccentric and things that grow, and their garden was like a jungle packed with unusual and rare plants. The mousey boy rolled his eyes.

"I'd hug you but your creature has pinned me to the seat." He muttered to Lily. Henry's adoration for him wasn't mutual. His name was Oliver Finnegan; he hated anything out of the ordinary and had a taste for mischief that earned him countless detentions that normally only a Gryffindor would manage.

"Don't be mean; he thinks you're his friend." Lily teased, kicking her trunk into the compartment and sitting down next to him, scratching the cat on his lap behind its ears.

"I hate cats." Muttered Oliver, his remark rewarded with an evil looking glare from Lily, who he then grinned cheekily at in a way of apology.

The Hogwarts Express rattled on while the three friends caught up. Menacing grey clouds hid the sky from view and frothed over tree tops, mixing with the steam that shot up from the train. Drop by drop, the clouds precipitated, faster and faster, until water was being unleashed at full torrent. It trickled down the carriage window and Lily followed a particularly big raindrop with her index finger. The heat that radiated from her hand caused a damp fog to cover a small section of the window, affirming her assumptions that it was bitingly cold outside the comfort of the train. The conversation had died out as Oliver had fallen asleep, snoring lightly while Henry mewed pathetically, desperate for attention. Alice had gone back to reading her magazine. She was frowning, seemingly not able to concentrate. She turned the magazine upside down and instantly her melancholic expression subsided. Bored, Lily deftly opened her trunk and grabbed her uniform, and with a quick mumble about where she was going, left the compartment.

She turned, heading for the toilets, and walked into a wall. At least, she thought it was a wall, but walls don't wear robes and smell like toast and butter and sunshine and a hint of smoke.

"Sorry," Lily said automatically, peering up (this non-wall was rather tall) though her hair until her eyes met cool grey ones staring back at her. It was a boy who she'd never seen before, but he couldn't have been a first year because he was about six foot tall and had six 0' clock shadow hugging his clenched jaw. His hair, an unnatural looking shade of pale blonde, hung scruffily down to his eyebrows which almost met in the middle due to his glower. He had a small scar in front of his right ear and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he swallowed. His robes were plain black, he hadn't been sorted yet, and they had that too-neat look that only new uniform could achieve. His tie was undone like his top button and he wore dark jeans instead of the regulation black trousers.

He nodded, accepting her apology, and strode past without another word. Not thinking much of it, Lily continued shuffling towards the ladies and locked the door behind her. She pulled on her tights (lord, she hated tights.) her skirt which was only just above the knee to avoid detention, white shirt and black and green stripy tie. Her jumper, with the snake crest hovering proudly over her breast, was warm and soft and smelled of potions. Last but not least was her cloak, it seemed too long compared to the other students' due to her lack of height and kissed the floor if she didn't stand perfectly straight. It was black, like most of the uniform, but the lining was a gorgeous emerald green that shimmered as it caught the light, even in the dim glow of the toilet cubicle. She scooped up her jeans and t-shirt, slipped on her school shoes (clunky black lace up boots) and plodded back to the compartment. She was greeted with the scene of Henry, who had abandoned Oliver's lap and had curled around his neck and Alice, hanging upside down from her seat and reading the Quibbler, although now near the end.

"You should get changed." Lily chuckled. It was getting darker outside, and they'd be arriving at the castle soon.

"In a bit."

"Remove your animal from my shoulders and I'll go." Yawned Oliver, stretching and jostling Henry slightly who hissed in protest. It took ten minutes to persuade the cat to abandon the warmth that was Oliver's neck and get him to sit on Lily's lap. He hurried out of the compartment with his robes in tow.

"I hate the uniform!" Alice whined, pressing the magazine against her face.

"It's okay for you, at least yours fits." Lily sighed, peering down in dismay at her baggy jumper.

"Eat more; you're so skinny and tiny like a doll. It's not fair!" Alice wasn't overweight, not at all, but she was curvy and tall and found it difficult to find clothes that fit her. Lily actually wished she had Alice's figure. Oliver only took a couple of minutes to change, and arrived back clad in his black and blue robes. The black seemed to lengthen his posture, making him seem taller than he actually was which was shorter than Alice.

Lily pulled up her legs and huddled by the compartment window, and allowed her mind to drift. The train jolted to a stop and she opened her eyes, realising she had managed to fall asleep. Alice and Oliver were playing cards over-competitively and Alice had finally gotten into her uniform. It was dark by now, and a clear night. The stars shone brightly against the black velvet sky and the moon was full and large, beaming down and lighting the path to the school. Instead of getting in the carriages with everyone else, Lily decided to walk up the hill and over the bridge to the school. She did this every year, she could think and breathe in the night air and hear the pine needles crunching under her toes. After saying goodbye to her friends ("just get in the carriage you idiot!") she began the half hour walk towards Hogwarts.

"Lumos." She muttered, her wand tip illuminating the leaf ridden path before her. Animals scurried through bushes and owls hooted as she walked, eat footstep seeming deafening in the silence. Suddenly, the sound of a twig snapping behind her made her whip her head around and point her wand at the offending culprit. It was the boy from earlier, shielding his eyes from the glare of the light of her wand. Slowly, she lowered the tip, but stayed on guard.

"What are you doing? Shouldn't you be with the new students?" Lily snapped. He had made her jump.

"I missed the boats." He mumbled, frowning at her tone. "I was following you to the school." He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, lit it with his wand, and took a long drag. The red embers lit up his features.

Lily sighed. "You scared me, you should have said something, or coughed so I knew you were there. What's your name?"

"Scorpius Malfoy." The boy said. His voice was low and husky, as if he had a permanent cold, and every so often he cleared his throat. "Yours?"

"Lily Potter. You wouldn't happen to be Draco Malfoy's son?"

"Yeah, why?" He flicked his cigarette.

"My dad knew yours in school. They didn't get on." Lily said sharply. She had heard all too many stories about the Malfoy's from her parents, and although they had told her that they'd changed, she still couldn't get the stereotype DEATH EATER out of her mind.

"Right. I heard about your dad; the boy who lived, huh? What's it like to be the daughter of the most famous wizard in the world?"

"Irritating." Lily sighed. She blinked her odd eyes. "We should get going or you'll miss your sorting." Malfoy nodded, and together they walked in silence up the hill towards the castle.


	2. The Sorting

They had reached the bridge when Professor Flitwick came trotting up on his impressively small legs, a thin layer of sweat giving his bald head the extra shine it really didn't need.

"There you are Mr Malfoy! It's almost time for your sorting -_ Put that cigarette out_!" He managed to spit out between gasps for air. Malfoy stubbed out the cigarette out on the side of the bridge, and raised his eyebrows at the tiny man in front of him. The professor motioned frantically at them to follow, and together the three speed-walked towards the castle. "Where have you been?! The sorting started ten minutes ago!" Flitwick puffed, his face becoming increasingly redder at each step he took. Lily had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing; it really was a hilarious sight to see. She glanced over at Malfoy to see he was having the same problem, and would have winked at him if he wasn't from a family of Death Eaters.

"Missed the boats." Malfoy muttered. He really wasn't a big talker, most of the time his expression did most of the talking for him, but since Flitwick was in no state to decipher his raised eyebrows and half smirk, he had to utter a few words as explanation. The bridge, easily one hundred feet high above the river beneath, was half new and half old. Half of it had been destroyed in the battle of Hogwarts when the Dark Lord's supporters had stormed the castle, yet the new half was as rickety as the old, and creaked at every hasty step the group made. It swayed at the slightest breeze and the wind had really begun to pick up, the fir trees behind them were bending reluctantly and the grass was rippling like the water below.

"Urgh!" Lily turned in response to Malfoy's grunt, and burst out laughing to see his foot had fallen through a particularly rotten piece of wood.

"Calm down Mr Malfoy, and hurry up!" Flitwick snapped, poking him with his miniature foot whilst Malfoy heaved himself up. The Professor tutted at him, and then swished around the continue hustling towards the school.

"You could have helped me." Hissed Malfoy to Lily, who was still giggling. She shrugged, and jogged after the Charms teacher.

…

Malfoy was sulking miserably by the time they made it to the castle entrance. The doors, massive as they were, opened easily as Flitwick pushed against them, as if eager to allow the students inside. The air inside the school was pregnant with the smell of magic and the promise of exciting new discoveries, and Lily closed her eyes to take advantage of the feeling of arrival.

"What house do you want to be in?" she asked Malfoy, feeling his eyes on her. He cleared his throat and moved away from her slightly.

"My whole family wants me to be in Slytherin. But I'm hoping Gryffindor, or maybe Ravenclaw. I don't suppose Hufflepuff would be too bad but I don't think I'd fit in."

Lily looked at him with curiosity. "You're full of surprises, you know. But you really don't seem like a Gryffindor to me."

"You don't seem like a Slytherin."

"Touché."

"Come _on_, Mr Malfoy, Miss Potter!" They followed the Professor into the hall, were hundreds of eyes turned to stare at the two latecomers. Lily scuttled over to the Slytherin table and took a seat next to Alice, who was glaring at her ferociously.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" she hissed under her breath. Lily merely smiled sweetly at her, and then watched Flitwick propel a reluctant Malfoy to the front of the Great Hall.

"Margot, Ebony!" Professor McGonagall called, and a tall girl with black dreadlocks nervously perched on the stool. They really had cut it close as they were already on the M's. The sorting hat was placed on her head and it wiggled as it pried through her most private thoughts.

Eventually, it screamed "RAVENCLAW!" and the girl grinned and hopped over to her new house's table, almost forgetting to return the hat to McGonagall.

"Malfoy, Scorpius." The school fell silent, and Lily was reminded when her name was called in her first year and she got a similar response. A few girls started giggling amongst themselves. Lily sighed, yeah he was good looking but honestly, was there really need for that? Malfoy pushed through the group of first years around him and slowly walked towards the stool. He sat, and lifted his head to face the hall. His expression was brooding, perhaps uncaring, but from their earlier discussion Lily knew he must be extremely nervous. The hat was placed on his white mop, and it straightened in interest.

"Hmmm, another Malfoy, haven't seen one of you for a while. You should have been sorted years ago, but I suppose you've been through a lot." It quietened for a moment, and Malfoy's eyes widened at something it must have whispered to him in his head. His cheeks flushed a little, sparking interest in Lily. "How unusual." The hat said, aloud once more.

"No, please-" Malfoy started, his voice shrill with panic but then-

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat bellowed, its voice echoing throughout the hall. Malfoy's jaw clenched, trying to hold back a grin, and a trace of pure relief flickered across his face. The hat was pulled from his head, and he padded towards the Gryffindor table. The hall was filled with chatter once more; what was going on? Was this some kind of joke? There was nothing normal or protocol about the situation, Scorpius was the first Malfoy ever to be sorted into Gryffindor house, and all eyes were on him.

Malfoy slumped on the bench, a sly smile spreading across his lips like butter. Lily couldn't help but feel a little happy for him, he was desperate to get into this house but her brain ordered her not to care. He was a Malfoy, anyway, destined to be a Death Eater just like his evil family no matter which house he was in. She turned to talk to Alice without even smiling at him, while a few girls shifted down his table to talk to him.

"Did anything happen? Why did you two come in together?" Alice whined.

"Of course not, he's a Malfoy, Alice! He missed the boats."

"Is that why you've been giving him filthy looks? Grow up Lils, what happened was years ago!" Alice huffed, annoyed since there was no gossip to be revealed. Lily scowled and watched the rest of the sortings.

After all the first years had been placed, Professor McGonagall tapped a fork against a goblet to catch the attention of the students.

"Just a few reminders: The forest is STILL forbidden and no more swimming in the Black Lake, it's upsetting the mermaids. Yes, Mr Finnegan, I'm talking to you." Oliver grinned sheepishly. "Enjoy your first meal back at Hogwarts, everyone." With that, the empty plates that dotted the tables miraculously filled with food and everyone began to tuck in. Everyone except Malfoy, who sat there staring at his hands, clenching and unclenching his jaw. Lily didn't notice, let alone care. She was too busy chatting with Alice, discussing enthusiastically what happened over the summer and "Hasn't Toby gotten hot?!" Toby previously being a scrawny, short boy, had clearly been working out and grown a couple of inches since the end of the last school year. He seemed a lot more confident, too, and was talking casually to a group of girls who had surrounded him like bees and a honeypot.

Whilst Alice was contemplating whether or not to go over, Oliver came and sat with them.

"Eat the damn bread, Lily." Lily glanced down; she had been flattening a piece of bread and butter with her fingers. She pushed it away in disgust and wiped her greasy fingers on her robes. Oliver rolled his eyes. "So, what's the hot gossip? I suppose you lovely girls have already noticed how totally hot Toby's gotten." He drawled sarcastically. Seeming to not have heard, Alice stood up and sashayed towards Toby, who glanced up and greeted her with a huge grin. He'd had his braces taken out.

"He's more Alice's type than mine." Lily smiled, picking up a bowl of ice cream and dunked her finger in it, and then sucked the cool sweet treat off.

"Eat properly, Lils." Growled Oliver. Lily's eating habits irritated him greatly. "I don't get why looks are so important anyway. I've always been here and Alice has never looked twice at me."

"You've been in love with her since First Year, maybe you should find a girlfriend." Lily sighed.

"Or maybe I should tell her I like her…" Oliver mused.

"Yes! Do it."

"Uh – crap, didn't realise I said that out loud. Anyway, I saw you eyeing up new eye candy over there… He's a Malfoy, isn't he?"

"Yes, which is exactly why I'm not interested. He isn't even that hot anyway, he's so grumpy looking and has got that 'I'm better than you' attitude about him."

"Always picky." Oliver muttered, and then made a beeline back to the Ravenclaw table when McGonagall shot him daggers for being at the wrong table. Lily looked over at Malfoy. He was still sitting there with the most unpleasantly smug expression, but she could see what Oliver meant. He was quite good looking; his white hair was thick and messy and hung low, almost to his eyelashes which were far too long to be wasted on a boy. His eyebrows were constantly furrowed and his eyes were the colour of smoke, which made him look surprised even when he wasn't. His nose was straight and his lips were full and curvy which contrasted with his angular jaw which had a fine layer of stubble that boys got when they had only just started shaving. He was plenty attractive but his dark aura put Lily off. She blinked, and then realised she'd been staring at him, and he was staring back. Their eyes locked and he tilted his head as if to ask a question, but Lilt ignored him and walked over to prise Alice from Toby.

…

"You know, if you actually talk to him, he actually has a great personality." The two girls were heading down to the dungeons. The floor was paved with cool grey slabs and the ceiling was an arch, illuminated dimly by candles that were dotted unevenly on the ancient walls which were also built with hard stone centuries ago, green moss oozing through the cracks like blood. Alice was babbling at full pelt about Toby, and Lily was nodded and grunting every now and again to let her know she was paying attention.

"Oliver has a better personality, though." She cut in.

"What, do you like him?"

"Not like that, I've known him since I was born."

"Even better!" Alice grinned and wrinkled her tiny snub nose to hitch up her glasses. "You two would make the cutest couple. I'll cheer for you!"

"That's not-" Lily started, but then sighed. She was fighting a losing battle.

"Adder's tongue." Alice said, and the slightly discoloured stones of the wall in front of them swung open to reveal a door that hid a secret passage. Lily's boots echoed against the floor, but were soon muffled by a soft green carpet that adorned the corridor, hugging the unforgiving stone beneath in a warm embrace. The candles were now held in green glass containers, causing the light to be given an eerie green glow. One last turn, and they were there; the Slytherin common room was extremely large, with high ceilings painted with alluring images. The stone walls gave way to dozens of floor-to-ceiling windows that revealed the black lake outside, the odd magical water creature floating past unnoticed. The room had a cool feel to it but the crackling fire that was located at the far end warmed the student's tired bodies with an almost motherly touch. The green light added to the mysterious, underwater feel. Soft, high backed green leather sofas were placed around the room in the most convenient places: around the fire, near some tables for revision, armchairs around the chess table. Bookshelves and potion ingredient cabinets gave the Slytherin's something to do.

"It's like coming home." Lily whispered, while Alice nodded in silent agreement. The boy's dormitories were on the right side of the common room and the girl's on the left. They climbed up the tall winding staircase until they were above water level and opened their door, Slytherin rooms were for two residents at a time and as luck would have it they were placed together. The bedrooms were far more cosy than the common room, the same green carpet that was found in the corridor was spread from corner to corner in the perfectly square room. On the opposite side to the door was a round circle, about a metre in diameter, protruding from the room as a turret was reaching for the heavens in that location. Two four poster beds with emerald sheets had silvery curtains like spiders webs.

Lily collapsed on the one on the left. She was exhausted; it had been a long day and the run in with Malfoy hadn't helped. Their trunks had already been delivered. Henry hopped onto her stomach and purred when Lily's fingers scratched his head.

She was asleep within seconds.


End file.
